New hope for binge eaters as scientists discover potential way to help control excessive eating

Scientists have developed a new way to help people who binge eat and have eating disorders to control their food intake.

Researchers from Germany and the US have discovered a way to potentially control a signalling pathway in the brain which stimulates food intake, by using enzymes.

The group of researchers developed a way to use the enzyme autotaxin (ATX) to inhibit the excitable brain activity that stimulates food intake. Testing on mice, scientists found that after a period of fasting, the animals displayed food-seeking behaviours which was then normalised by administrating autotaxin inhibitors.